2.01.2008

New Job!!

So, it's time. I'm getting out of advertising (at least for now). I've accepted an offer to join a small IT consulting firm in Berkeley. They have clients spread out between the East Bay (Oakland, Berkeley, Emeryville) and Downtown SF.

For those of you keeping track:


I'll be a Lead Consultant, doing Mac and PC IT for businesses that are too small to have their own IT department. They started out with a lot of architecture firms as clients because that's the founder's background, but now they have an eclectic mix of small businesses they work with.

I'm uber excited for new learning possibilities and it's a great move for me career advancement wise. At the same time, I'm totally gonna miss goofing around with all my friends back at Publicis.

UPDATED: My last day is Friday 2/8, we're all going out for drinks on Thursday 2/7 at Azul if you'd like to come.

Interestingly, this new job will require us to purchase a second car. I've REALLY enjoyed being a 1 car family. It's a huge expense saver. But at the same time, it means i get to go car shopping, which is of course totally exciting.

We want to find something that gets good gas mileage, is reliable, and is also a little fun. Trying to decide if we want to go bigger or smaller than the Mazda3 we love so much. Myshelle's only requirement this time: must have a back seat. Unfortunately, that ruled out the Mazda Miata and the Honda Insight. Luckily, there are still some good options.

Which one do you think I should get?

Honda Civic Si Coupe

Mini Cooper Type S

Honda CRV

Toyota RAV4

Which car should we buy?
Civic Si Coupe
MINI Cooper
Honda CRV
Toyota RAV4
  
pollcode.com free polls

5 comments:

Joe LaGreca said...

I dont understand, you were thinking about the Honda Insight, but didn't consider the Toyota Prius?

After owning one, I'm a firm believer that most other cars pale in comparison to it.

Callipygian said...

The Prius is a VERY popular choice in the Bay Area, and with good reason. Not only is it uber-trendy right now, it's versatile, green, and gets incredible gas mileage.

The problem is, it's so popular right now, a 2003-2005 Prius with less than 50,000 miles on it is significantly more expensive than other cars in it's class.

The other problem is that I despise automatic transmissions. The Insight has a manual transmission. Also, although I haven't driven either car yet, it looks a little more fun than the Prius. I know fun shouldn't matter, and it's not a top priority, but I'd be lying if I said it wasn't a consideration.

Joe LaGreca said...

I know that in San Diego, you can get one new for 21-22k. I'm not really sure about the used market.

I can assure you that the money you save in gas will make a difference over the long term.

I'm not sure if you know it, but the Prius class is the same as an Accord or Camry, NOT a Civic or Tercel.

While the Insight gets 10-15 mpg better mileage, its not nearly as practical, as it is only a two seater. The Prius seats four with the practicality of a hatchback.

For me it wasn't at all about trendy. I found the Prius to have wonderful gas mileage while being very technologically advanced (eg. key less entry, bluetooth, touch screen, mileage charting, tire pressure sensors, etc), which is great for a consultant, because I'm driving all around town to my customers.

It really is the BEST car on the market right now, in its class.

A Troubled Myki Enthusiast said...

I was waiting for Joe to pounce on the "missing option" :).

Congrats dude! Welcome to the crazy world of consulting!

Unknown said...

Congratulations on your new job Aaron! Best to you and Myshelle.

Curt VE (now from Massachusetts)